here come the miles

T minus 12 hours till I hit the road good and hard. Phone charger, toothbrush, towel. I'm sure I've forgotten something, but it doesn't matter.

I went out to the Smokies Friday morning as a little warm-up and so I could get my annual National Parks pass. I waited just past Newfound Gap for the sun to crest the mountains and peek through the heavy clouds, but it never quite made it.

Halfway up to Clingman's Dome I saw a couple other photographers on a narrow pull-off, overlooking the sea of clouds that I had just emerged from. They were a couple of older guys from Seymour, bantering about  f-stops and previous sunrises. One of them told me that this year set the record high for Clingman's Dome at a blistering 73 degrees.

The women in the giftshop of the Sugarlands visitor center had no shortage of advice when they learned what I was buying the annual pass for. "I go to Rocky Mountain National Park every year," said one. "Don't bother with Wall Drug in South Dakota," said the other, "Overrated!"

Duly noted.